Save the Last Dance for Me
by bluesatinsashes
Summary: Maria is torn between a multitude of emotions after the von Trapps' party. When she returns to the Abbey then sent back to the von Trapp villa under the Reverend Mother's orders, she has even bigger issues to face. This was written as a gift for BlossomOfEdelweiss/clarinetjamie as part of TSOM fan forum Christmas Fan Fiction Gift Exchange. I do not own anything.
1. Chapter 1

There she was, dancing the L _ä_ ndler with the Captain. They were holding each other's hands and their arms were stretched over their heads to form an arc. As she gazed into his face, she could feel her own warming up. While her face was heating up, her feet continued to move swiftly across the courtyard to the music of the L _ä_ ndler. His eyes were locked on hers and her eyes were locked on his. Her heart began to race. A wave of panic began to emerge deep within her core. _Stop_ , she said to herself, _stop before it's too late_. And good thing she did because everything was turning into a white, hazy, snowy vignette. She was losing her peripheral vision.

"Why, he couldn't keep his eyes off you. You can clearly tell that he was in love with you," said a voice from behind. Maria spun around and found herself face-to-face with the Baroness in her bedroom. She was elegantly dressed in a shiny gold gown that flattered her tall, slender figure. Maria, on the other hand, was wearing nothing but a simple white petticoat. Maria's eyes widened and brought her hands to her cheeks in complete disbelief. Her face was burning hot. She dashed towards the door, swung it open, and ran out. Before she knew it, she was falling. My, what would happen when she lands on the foyer floor? _Goodness,_ she thought to herself, _I've been falling for quite some time now_. _I could have sewed some more play clothes in that time!_

Clothes. She looked down at herself. She was completely naked.

Maria's eyes flew open, gasping for air. Beads of perspiration crawled down her neck and forehead. She sat up from her bed and wiped the sweat off of her face with the palms of her hands. _It was just a dream_ , she told herself, and began to calm down. She rubbed her eyes with her fists and looked around her. She could see the moonlight stream through her window and onto an unfamiliar-looking bedspread. The brass frame at the end of her bed had disappeared. She wasn't at the villa anymore. Where _was_ she? She fumbled around through the darkness, trying to locate her night stand with her hands. Nothing. This definitely was not the villa. The hard bed. The paper-thin bed sheets. The view out the window of the moon majestically rising above the mountains. She was back at the Abbey.

Maria rolled out of bed and walked over to the window. Resting her forearms against the window sill, she gazed pensively at the moon then diverted her attention to the shimmering rooftops of the houses, churches, and buildings that comprised Salzburg. She began to ponder on what really happened at the party last week and the reason why she left the villa. _It was spin, shuffle forward, and spin, that's how you were supposed to finish it,_ she said to herself. Maria was angry, humiliated, and disappointed by the fact that she could not finish the dance. _Why did you stop dancing? It was going just fine! Why did you make up a lame excuse claiming that you forgot the rest of the dance?_ She had so many questions to ask. She was overwhelmed by a whirlwind of indescribable emotions during the Ländler and continued to experience them to this very moment. Though she couldn't pinpoint all of them, she felt frightened, isolated, confused, ashamed…

Tears rolled down her cheeks. _Why is this happening to me?_ _What if the Baroness is right about the Captain being in love with me? Could I be in love with him?_ Her eyes widened in horror at her last thought. Did she just think of the unthinkable? The window view of Salzburg quickly transformed into a watery blur as her eyes flooded with more tears. _I can't go back. I can't face him again._ Maria walked over to her bed and knelt down. Placing her elbows on her bed, she clasped her hands together as she prayed. Choking on her tears, Maria buried her head into her arms and cried herself to sleep.

"My child, you have to face life," the Reverend Mother said to a kneeling Maria the next morning in her office. "You have to go out there and find what you're looking for. You must go back." She gently stroked Maria's cheek with her hand.

"No! I can't," Maria tearfully protested. "I can't face him anymore."

"Has he harmed you in any way?" the Reverend Mother asked. Maria wiped her tears away with the back of her hand.

"No, it's just that…oh please don't send me back!"

The Reverend Mother reached out to cradle Maria's cheeks in her hands. Her motherly gestures felt so reassuring, so wonderful that if she were to let go, Maria would collapse into the same fragile state that she was in before. She did not want to go.

"Maria, if you listen to your heart, then it will guide you through the path that you were meant to take."

Maria stopped weeping for a moment. A solemn silence filled the room. The Reverend Mother firmly gripped Maria's arms.

"Now go, my child," the Reverend Mother urged. "Sister Margaretta and Sister Sophia have started packing your bag. God will always be there to protect you."

Maria slowly rose from the floor and disappeared out the doorway.

3


	2. Chapter 2

Back to square one. Maria climbed onto the bus with her carpet bag in one hand, her guitar in the other. The only thing that was different this time around was that she was not wearing the notorious grey dress. Rather, she was sporting a fitted aqua-coloured dress, courtesy of Nonnberg Abbey's newest postulant. With a new outfit, she was able to make a fresh start upon her return to the von Trapp villa. As the bus rolled along, Maria looked out the window. Her eyes followed the contour of the rolling green hills that lined the horizon. Her eyes swept up towards the peak of the hill, then slid down towards the valley. It was so hypnotic.

"I don't remember the rest anymore. I'm so sorry," Maria said apologetically. She placed her hand on her head in humiliation. The Captain, the Baroness, and the children were standing with her in the courtyard.

"Father, maybe _you_ can teach Fräulein Maria the rest of the Ländler! She taught us how to sing and we taught her a few things. Maybe you should teach her something," chimed Kurt.

"I do know the rest of the dance, it-it's just that…" Maria frantically defended herself.

"Well, why can't we finish it?" the Captain asked. He extended his hand. "Shall we?"

Maria stared at the white glove on his outstretched hand and felt deeply conflicted. The Captain's gesture seemed so inviting yet the vengeful glare on the Baroness' face seemed so intimidating. Before Maria could make any decision, she was falling towards the floor.

Maria lunged forward towards the seat in front of her as the bus came to a sudden halt. Startled, she opened her eyes. It was an encore of that dream. She peered out the window and was greeted by familiar surroundings. Aigen. This was her stop.

After a long day, Maria wrung out her face cloth and began to wipe her face. She was back at the villa, washing herself up in her bathroom before heading to bed. Still stunned by the Captain's announcement of his engagement to the Baroness earlier that day, Maria rubbed the cloth vigorously, hoping to remove the ugly frown that was smeared across her face. It was still visible, much like a stubborn pimple.

As Maria slipped into her nightgown, she kept replaying the conversation in her head between her and the Captain following the announcement of his engagement.

"So, Fräulein, will you be staying for good this time?" he asked as they walked into the house from the terrace. There was a tiny hint of eagerness in his voice implying that he wanted her to stay.

"Oh no, I'm afraid not," she replied meekly, looking down at the floor. "Only until you and the Baroness are married. Then the children will have a new mother." Those last few words were painful jabs at her heart.

A lump grew in her throat as she mentally rewound her response and replayed it. Why was she torturing herself like this? With each subsequent replay, it felt like another dagger had impaled her. _Why did I take the Reverend Mother's advice?_ She asked herself. _He was going to marry the Baroness anyways! Oh, how am I of any use once the Captain and the Baroness are married?_ Maria stood in front of the mirror and stared into her own eyes. Tears began to flood. They weren't any kind of tears. They were tears of anger. Sorrow. Humiliation. Jealousy. Devastation. She stood there, motionless, staring at her tear-streaked face until there were no more tears to cry.

Life with the children was back to normal. They were happier than ever now that Maria had returned to the villa. Since her departure, the children were able to master a few more songs in 4-part harmony. As she taught them a couple more tunes on the terrace, the children bonded to her even closer, especially the little ones who clung onto her tightly.

As the days passed by where Maria was outside with the children, there was something odd that struck her. It was happening for the past few days now. She and the children would be on the patio, close to the lake, teaching them a song with her guitar. Meanwhile, the Captain, Elsa, and Max would be up on the terrace. Elsa and Max would be enjoying a drink while the Captain would stand at the edge of the terrace. He would be leaning against the concrete railing with his arms stretched out and his hands firmly gripping the railing. Maria initially thought he was gazing at his backyard. After all, who wouldn't gaze at their backyard if they had a serene lake and a glorious mountain as the backdrop? But when her eyes met his, she realized that he was actually looking at her. Oh no, he wasn't just looking at her. There was something more powerful about his gaze. His piercing green-blue eyes were intensely focused on her, sending her the message that he was yearning for her. Her stomach began to churn. Her heart began to pound rapidly. It soon hit her that he was fixated on her.

Intimidated by his stare, Maria quickly shifted her attention back to the children. They had no inkling that their father was watching over Maria since they were facing the lake. Maria, on the other hand, was facing the terrace which gave the Captain every opportunity to gaze at her. Over the next few days, Maria moved the children over to a different part of the backyard where she would not have to face the Captain. However, she had a gut feeling that the Captain was nevertheless watching over her. She couldn't stay there any longer. The wedding would be too long of a wait before she could leave.

Maria was back in the courtyard dancing with the Captain, only this time they were dancing the rest of the Ländler. She spun, then they shuffled forward. It was going fine and smoothly. Why couldn't the dance go as well as the first time around? All they needed to do was to finish with her final spin. That was it. When they reached the end of the dance, the Captain held her closely. He was holding her closer than how it was typically done at the end of the Ländler. Maria's pulse began to race. Her breathing became shallow. The intimacy between them was unbearable for her. She wanted to scream.

"Where I come from, the gentleman doesn't kiss the lady's hand," the Captain whispered. "Instead, he kisses her on the—"

"NO!" she cried out while breaking free from his arms.

Maria's eyes flew open and sat bolt upright on her bed. She rested in that position for a few minutes to catch her breath. Did she actually scream out loud? Just as she was about to go back to sleep, she heard some voices from downstairs. It was late into the night or at least it _felt_ late…so who could possibly be up at this time of the day engaging in what sounded like an intense conversation?

Tiptoeing to her bedroom door, Maria opened it slowly, taking every precaution to not make any sound or any appearance that would draw attention to her. She opened the door an inch and wedged her ear between the door and its frame. The sound of high heel shoes clicking across the foyer was, without doubt, the Baroness. The clicking stopped, followed by a brief silence, then a loud thud that sounded like suitcases dropping onto the floor.

"Well, I was not expecting it to end this way," the Baroness sighed with mild undertones of heartbreak and disappointment.

"And I wasn't either," said the Captain flatly.

"My ride is waiting for me. Goodbye Georg."

Her heels clicked against the floor for a few more times before the door closed behind her.


	3. Chapter 3

"Father, where is Baroness Schraeder?" Marta asked the next morning at the breakfast table. The empty seat near the corner of the table was an obvious sign that something was out of place in the von Trapp household. The Captain looked up from his plate and with one eyebrow raised, he quickly dismissed the awkward situation.

"Oh, Baroness Schraeder? Well, she realized that Salzburg didn't suit her lifestyle and wanted to return to Vienna," he responded casually. It was clear that he was trying minimize the stigma associated with a broken-off engagement.

"So you're not going to marry Baroness Schraeder anymore, are you?" Kurt questioned. Meanwhile, Frau Schmidt was circulating the dining room to collect finished breakfast plates. As she walked around the Captain, he swiftly turned around and asked,

"Frau Schmidt, can we have this chair removed please?"

As the days went by, it seemed as if the Captain was pursuing Maria, constantly asking her if she was going to stay at the von Trapp villa for good. During one instance, Maria and the children arrived home early from an outing that was interrupted by a downpour. Soaked to their skin, the children hurried upstairs to dry themselves off and to change into new clothing. As Maria was about to head up to her room, she was interrupted by the Captain.

"Fräulein?" he asked. Maria turned around and looked down. The Captain was standing at the bottom of the staircase. She still could not face him. Every time she looked at him in the eyes, there was something about him that made her feel weak at the knees. Overwhelmed by this powerful yet unknown emotion, she quickly turned her head away and looked down at her shoes.

"Yes Captain?" she responded nervously.

"I was wondering if, now that uh, Baroness Schraeder is no longer in the picture, you wanted to stay with us for good?" It was quite evident that the Captain was uncomfortable asking this question, yet the fact that he asked her was a sign that he was after her.

"I-I don't know just yet. Excuse me, Captain, but I can't stay in these soaking wet clothes for any longer," Maria stammered then rushed upstairs to her bedroom.

The best way for Maria to avoid the Captain was to take the children out. The mountains were the best place to go on an excursion as it discouraged him from tagging along. After all, to him, home was the sea.

However, she could only avoid him for so long. Another rainy day kept Maria and the children confined to the house. Maria had just finished teaching a new song to the children in the living room. When lunch was served, the children dashed to the dining room. Maria stayed behind. Seated on one of the sofas, she re-tuned her guitar strings.

"So, have you made up your mind?" asked a voice from behind. Maria jumped out of her seat slightly as she was not expecting anyone else in the room. The Captain must have tiptoed into the living room when she was not paying attention. He sat down beside her and extended one arm along the back of the sofa where Maria was sitting. She never felt her heart beat so rapidly before. What was he trying to do? It looked as if he wanted to move closer to her. His body language and his behaviour around her were both bewildering and nerve-racking to her. She was afraid that the Captain would notice her trembling hands as she tightened her guitar strings. Maria knew that he was staring intently at her so she continued to look down at her guitar. She stammered,

"I still don't know, Captain. The children are happy that I'm here and it would break my heart if I…" her voice trailed off.

"If you?"

"I'm sorry Captain, but I just can't make a decision right now. I have too many things to care of," she bursted apologetically out as she rushed out of the room.

The following evening, Maria walked onto the terrace. Although it had stopped raining by then, the ground was still wet. Nevertheless, it was refreshing to have cool weather again after suffering through weeks of dreadful July heat and humidity. She knew the terrace was a safe place to hide especially since it was night time. The Captain was upstairs helping the little ones with their reading, so she knew he would be well distracted for some amount of time.

Stepping towards the terrace railing, Maria leaned against it with her arms outstretched the same way the Captain did. She gripped the railing firmly. It was a beautiful view from where she was standing. The moon was shimmering off the lake which was a sign that the latter was actively flowing. The constant churning waters was very much that of her own mind…lost in her own thoughts, conflicted by a multitude of unexplainable emotions, figuring out what to do next. And the mountain behind the lake—it looked as if it was protecting the water, providing it with the necessary strength to hold itself together and to move on.

"I knew I would find you here," said a voice from behind. He snuck up on her. Again. There was a hint of playfulness in the way he said it, almost as if he was flirting with her. Maria froze completely. The Captain walked up beside her and assumed the same position as her as they both gazed at the mountain. They both stood still on the terrace for a few moments to appreciate the silence that the night had to offer. Then the Captain broke the silence by raising _the_ question.

"I know I have asked you this several times now and you kept avoiding this question, but Fräulein, have you made up your mind about staying here?" he asked.

Maria tilted her head towards the railing. She was absolutely petrified. He had just invaded her safe place and now she was pressured to answer a question that would change both her life and the von Trapps'. The Captain turned towards Maria.

"Fräulein, is there something bothering you?" he asked. He was looking directly at her which left her with no choice but to look at him in the eyes. They were back. The weak knees. The racing heart. The trembling hands.

The Captain placed his hands on Maria's arms and gripped them firmly. She was alarmed as she was not expecting any kind of physical contact from him. He had a look of concern on his face.

"You don't look so well. Are you feeling alright?" he asked. Maria's mouth went dry but was able to utter a response.

"No, I-I mean yes. I'm fine," she stuttered. Then she finally said it. "I'm sorry Captain, but I must return to the Abbey. It's where I belong," she announced. Her voice sounded shaky and distraught, forcing herself not to break out into tears in front of him.

The Captain showed a look of heartbreak followed by a look of disappointment. Releasing Maria from his grip, he took a deep breath and said,

"Well, I don't know what to tell the children." There was a pause. Then he added, "Shall we say goodbye tomorrow morning?"

"Yes," she replied, deeply stricken with guilt and grief. Maria turned around and returned to the house to retire for the night. She was about to walk out on the children's lives forever.


	4. Chapter 4

Maria headed down the stairs, making every single effort not to wake anybody up. She was dressed in the same light blue chiffon dress. It was her favourite dress as it was associated with fond memories with the family—she wore it during the puppet performance as well as when the Captain sang Edelweiss to the children. She decided to leave earlier as she did not want to see the children in tears if she left later. It would be better for everyone in the end. Maria took one last look at the von Trapps' foyer. This was her final goodbye.

As soon as she boarded the bus, the feelings of regret, guilt, shame, and heartache quickly emerged. She suddenly felt a lump in her throat. What had she done? What was she going to tell the Reverend Mother? Maria had failed twice now. She was too ashamed to return to the Abbey yet she had no option otherwise.

The bus soon pulled up at its final stop in downtown Salzburg. Maria stepped off the bus and headed over to the ticket booth.

"I would like a ticket for the next bus trip to the University of Salzburg," Maria requested to the ticket agent. The Abbey was located in close proximity to the university which was why she chose that particular bus route. The agent shook his head.

"I'm afraid not. The rain has washed out the main road to the university. All bus trips to university have been cancelled until the road is repaired," he responded.

"And how long would that take?" she asked.

"I don't know…a few days perhaps?"

"A few days? But I have to be there today! Isn't there something you can do?" Maria cried out impatiently.

"Fräulein, most of the roads in that area have been washed out. They've been barricaded so there is no way to access them. I'm sorry, but there is nothing that we can do at this time,"

Disenchanted, Maria walked away from the ticket booth. It was mid-morning. The sun was shining, the sky was clear. What was she going to do in the meantime?

Maria walked through the cobblestone streets of downtown Salzburg. She heard church bells ringing. A newlywed couple was leaving the church surrounded by beaming family members. The sight brought such joy to Maria yet it delivered an ache to her heart. Ignoring the pain, Maria continued walking.

A horse-drawn carriage was crossing her path. Maria stopped momentarily to allow it to pass. In the carriage was a young couple embracing. They looked like they were in their late teens. Maria's heart filled with the same joyful feeling that she experienced when she watched the newlywed couple. However, a feeling of emptiness lingered within her. Perhaps that was the cause of her aching heart. Nonetheless, she continued on.

"Anna!" a woman's voice called out from the distance. "Stop right there!" Maria looked around to see who the woman was talking to. All of a sudden, Maria spotted a little girl, who looked no more than three, running towards her amongst the crowd of people on the streets. Just before the girl would crash into Maria's shins, Maria dropped her belongings and swooped the girl up in her arms.

"Well you're not going anywhere, young lady!" Maria scolded playfully. She balanced the child on her hip while she waited for the girl's family to catch up.

"Thank you so much Fräulein," the mother said breathlessly as Maria handed the child over to her. She paused to catch her breath. "It's so hard to keep up with your children when they wander off like that." Standing next to the mother and father was a little boy, who looked about age six. He seemed to be entranced by Maria's guitar case.

"What's in there?" the boy asked.

"It's my guitar. You can have a look," Maria replied as she bent down to open up her case. She pulled out her guitar and adjusted the strap around the boy's shoulder. Struggling to wrap his arm around the body of the guitar, Maria supported the instrument's body and neck with her hands. As he started to strum a few notes, the boy's face lit up in excitement.

"So you're a musician I'm assuming?" the father asked.

"Nope. I'm studying to become a nun," Maria replied confidently. The mother's smile quickly turned into a frown.

"Oh no dear, Fräulein, are you sure you want to devote the rest of your life to being a nun?" the mother questioned. She sounded awfully concerned.

"Yes, this is what I want. It's what I am meant to be," Maria responded.

"But you seem to work so well with children! Are you sure you want to seclude yourself from the outside world?" she asked. Maria reflected for a bit.

"Well, I used to be a governess to seven children," Maria said humbly. She didn't want to reveal any more details than that.

"And what happened?"

Maria looked down towards the cobblestone while rubbing the back of her neck in humiliation. The mother took Maria's hand as if she was her confidante.

"Please, Fräulein. Don't go to the Abbey. I can see it in you. You will regret it. Listen, I studied to become a nun once. But I couldn't do it. I was too free-spirited to be under strict discipline. So I left and found everything that life had to offer," she explained. She and her husband exchanged looks as he placed his arm around her.

Maria was enlightened. Something was telling her that she _had_ to return to the villa. The washed away roads that prevented her from going to the Abbey. The newlywed couple. The pair of young lovers in the horse-drawn carriage.

"I have to go now. Thank you for your words of wisdom," Maria said hurriedly. She hastily packed her guitar and picked up her belongings.

"Listen to your heart, Fräulein, and it will guide you through the path that you were meant to take," the mother called out as Maria walked away. Those were some familiar words that she once heard.

It was mid-afternoon. Maria rushed back to the bus ticket booth. Dodging passersby of all ages, shapes, and sizes, she looked like a klutz as she tripped and stumbled through the streets of Salzburg.

"Excuse me Herr, when is the next bus to Aigen?" Maria asked desperately while catching her breath between words.

"Aigen? Why, you just missed it by a few minutes! The next one won't be until 7 pm," the agent replied.

"7 pm?" Maria cried out. Her heart sank. Nevertheless, Maria purchased a ticket for her bus ride that would arrive in several hours.

Finally, the bus arrived. Maria hopped on. The doors closed behind her and the bus headed off to Aigen.


	5. Chapter 5

The sun was setting when Maria stepped off the bus. It would only become darker when she arrived at the villa. The rays of the setting sun casted a beautiful orange hue on the mountains. Maria enjoyed the view of the peaks in the far off distance as she walked to the villa.

Before she made her way to the front door, she wanted to gaze at the mountains first in the von Trapps' backyard. The mountains looked absolutely gorgeous during twilight.

When Maria entered the backyard, she spotted a silhouette in the distance, close to the water. The figure was leaning against the iron gates that faced the lake. Their arms were stretched out and their hands were firmly gripping the top bar of the gates. The Captain. Maria's heart ached terribly. How lonely he was out there! She missed him so much. She now knew who was longing for the entire time. Then she felt it again. The rapid heartbeat, the trembling hands, the weak knees.

It hit her. She realized what the recurring feelings actually meant. Maria could finally admit to herself that she was in love with the Captain.

Dropping her baggage on the lawn, she ran towards the Captain. As she approached him, the silhouette remained still. Maria started doubting herself. Was that really the Captain standing there? But she knew it had to be him. The way he was leaning against the gate was no different from the way he leaned against the terrace railing when he gazed at her.

Maria stopped a few feet away from the Captain's back. He remained frozen. It seemed as if he had no idea that she was there. Very slowly, Maria walked up beside the Captain and gently wrapped her arms around his arm. This was her way of saying sorry. Sorry for leaving him—twice. Sorry for breaking his children's hearts—twice. Sorry for any other damage that she had done or that she thought she had done during her time as their governess. It felt wonderful to be embracing the Captain, yet a bit frightening as she initiated it herself and he hadn't reacted just yet.

The Captain looked over at Maria. He could only see the top of her head. Her shiny golden hair glowed under the setting sun. He gazed at her for a few moments as she continued to hold him closely. Finally, he turned towards Maria, and with his other arm, he wrapped her around him. Suddenly, she felt liberated in his arms. It was the best feeling in the world…a feeling that she had never felt before. Maria rested her cheek against his chest. Everything felt so right, so perfect. Oh, how she never wanted this moment to end!

"Oh Captain, I'm so sorry," Maria bursted out frantically. "I didn't mean to leave you or the children. I started having feelings that I never had before and I was scared..." Her voice trailed off as tears began to roll down her face.

The Captain looked at her and cradled her cheeks in his hands just how the Reverend Mother did. Maria felt safe in his hands. He gazed into her tear-filled eyes and was captivated by such beauty. Her blue eyes, accented by her blue chiffon dress, sparkled exquisitely under the moonlight. The Captain finally spoke.

"Maria, it doesn't matter anymore," he whispered reassuringly. "The question is, will you be staying for good?"

Overcome with an enormous amount of relief that prevented her from speaking, Maria nodded yes and collapsed into his arms, burying her face into the Captain's shirt. They embraced each other tightly as she sniffed back her tears. There was too much for Maria—joy, freedom, bliss, and most importantly, she loved him and he loved her back.

They stood there, embracing each other by the lake as she unwound from a highly emotional day. The sun was well below the horizon at this point where the mountains were merely silhouettes.

"Maria, I do have one thing to ask you," the Captain said as he released her from his arms. He took her hand and walked several feet away from the lake. Puzzled and anxious, Maria had no idea what his intentions were. The Captain stepped a few feet away from her and extended his right hand towards her. His left hand was placed behind his back.

"Shall we continue from where we left off?" he asked. She knew immediately what he was meant. The rest of the Ländler from the party. She was still humiliated over the fact that she stopped mid-way through the dance. Maria took a deep breath and said,

"Yes."

The Captain began to hum the Ländler song. Maria let out a giggle. And so they started to dance. Their feet moved swiftly across the patio tiles. She knew exactly the rest of the steps. Spin…shuffle forward…and finish with another spin.

When the dance came to an end, Maria and the Captain took their final positions. He stood behind Maria with his arms folded across her body. Their hands were still joined together. The Captain turned her around so that he could face her. They stood there, staring into each other's eyes lustfully. Cradling her cheeks once again in his hands, he leaned over and gently placed his lips over hers. Maria instantly moulded her lips to his as she savoured every moment of this new and thrilling experience. She was just kissed for the very first time…by Captain von Trapp. How exhilarating it was!

"I have finally found you…again" the Captain whispered into her ear. His breath tickled her ear and down the side of her neck, forming goose bumps. They moved towards the lake and stopped in front of the iron gates. Standing side by side, they wrapped their arms around each other's waists and gazed at the moon that shone high above the water and over the Alps.

And she found him again too. Maria soon realized that this was the path that she was meant to take. All because she listened to her heart.

 _A/N: This concludes my FanFiction debut. A special thank you goes out to lemacd, who took the time to read and critique my story. Finally, to you, the reader, thank you for taking the time to read my story. I hope you enjoyed it._


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